Staying Home Sucks, home
Cape Fear River - Intra Coastal Waterway - panoramio (2)
Cottage Creek. Photo: David Broad, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

Cottage Creek

Kayak spot · United States

Flat water: a lake, canal or slow river

Is it worth the trip?

91Good out of 100 for your dates

Home sucks

Best on Thu 5: Wind 3 kn gusting 4, Air 22 °C

Each day of your trip, out of 100

Tue 3 · 70 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
13kn
Air
22°C
Rain
0 mm

Wed 4 · 87 out of 100

Wind
6 kn
Gusts
9kn
Air
22°C
Rain
0 mm

Thu 5 · 97 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
4kn
Air
22°C
Rain
0 mm

Fri 6 · 93 out of 100

Wind
4 kn
Gusts
5kn
Air
22°C
Rain
0.9 mm

Sat 7 · 96 out of 100

Wind
3 kn
Gusts
7kn
Air
22°C
Rain
0 mm

Sun 8 · 94 out of 100

Wind
1 kn
Gusts
10kn
Air
21°C
Rain
0 mm

Mon 9 · 71 out of 100

Wind
10 kn
Gusts
14kn
Air
19°C
Rain
0 mm

Tap a day for wind, gusts, air and rain. Full forecast

Forecast: next 10 days

Full forecast
  1. Mon 262, good
  2. Tue 370, good
  3. Wed 487, good
  4. Thu 597, good
  5. Fri 693, good
  6. Sat 796, good
  7. Sun 894, good
  8. Mon 971, good
  9. Tue 1084, good
  10. Wed 1196, good

The spot in one fact

  • Flat waterthe water

Full forecast

every day, every number

The score doesn't know the river level, weirs or your skill.

Wind and weather forecast and score for each day at Cottage Creek
DayScoreWindGustsAirRain
Mon 2Nov62, good13 kn17kn20°C0.7 mm
Tue 3Nov70, good10 kn13kn22°C0 mm
Wed 4Nov87, good6 kn9kn22°C0 mm
Thu 5Nov97, good3 kn4kn22°C0 mm
Fri 6Nov93, good4 kn5kn22°C0.9 mm
Sat 7Nov96, good3 kn7kn22°C0 mm
Sun 8Nov94, good1 kn10kn21°C0 mm
Mon 9Nov71, good10 kn14kn19°C0 mm
Tue 10Nov84, good5 kn15kn16°C0 mm
Wed 11Nov96, good3 kn10kn19°C0 mm

Wind and gusts are in knots, rain in mm. River levels: no free forecast gives them, so check a gauge before you go. More

Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.

Best time to go

No month stands out

Good kayaking days in a typical week, each month, for new paddlers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).

  1. Jan4of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
  2. Feb4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
  3. Mar5of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
  4. Apr5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
  5. May6of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
  6. Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
  7. Jul6of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
  8. Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
  9. Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
  10. Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
  11. Nov5of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
  12. Dec4of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec

Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.

Typical weather, not a forecast, and not the river's level: a month that is often good to be outside may still be low water.

Map

the spot and its town

Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.

The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.

One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Photos of Cottage Creek

Cape Fear River - Southport - panoramio (9)
Near Cottage Creek. Photo: David Broad, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

About

the place in full, sources, credits

About Cottage Creek

A launch on the Cottage Creek. No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle. No paddling school, club or hire within 50 km on the map. The town to stay in is Southport. Within 5 km we also list 3 wind sports spots.

  • River Cottage Creek
  • Grade No grade is stated.
  • Who it suits No grade stated: ask locally before you paddle.
  • Access No source states the access rules: check locally.
  • Schools, hire No paddling school, club or hire within 50 km on the map.

Spots and rivers: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Whitewater sections © Rivermap (rivermap.org), Riverzone and Jonathan Riddell, ODbL.

The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).

Rough cost (estimate): about US$1,150–US$2,080 each

about US$1,150–US$2,080 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food, kayak hire.

Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

How we worked it out 
Rough cost per person for this trip
WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to ILM, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bagabout US$161–US$335
Taxiairport and back, sharedabout US$94–US$154
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, sharedabout US$348–US$583
Food7 days eating outabout US$342–US$636
Kayak hire5 days, or about US$114 to fly your ownabout US$201–US$375
Totalabout US$1,150–US$2,080

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.

Where to stay: Southport

Ad Links marked Ad may pay us if you book. You pay the same, and they never change a score. How we earn

Closest

Southport

about 5 min by car · 18 places to stay

about US$134/nightcountry average

See 18 places to stay in Southport · Booking.com

About Southport its beds, food and every spot near it

About US$134 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.

Getting there: about 5h 15m

About 5h 15m door to door from Chicago

Fly ORD → ILM, direct, then 1h by road

An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.

On the water

Paddling schools, clubs and hire nearby

No paddling school, club or hire mapped within 50 km.

Schools, clubs and hire: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits